Nature Positive welcomed its first intern this summer

The Nature Positive team was delighted to host Kelsey for an eight-week paid placement from July to August 2021, as part of Oxford University’s Crankstart Scholar Internship programme.

Kelsey had just completed her first year of a geography undergraduate degree at St Anne’s College, Oxford, UK. She has always had a strong interest in the natural world and was constantly exploring when she was younger. She believes this influenced her decision to study geography at St Anne’s, where she has broadened her knowledge and pursued her interest in biodiversity, recognising the crucial role that it plays in achieving a sustainable and equitable future.

After completing her internship, we asked her a few questions about her experience working in our team.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship with Nature Positive?
I honestly cannot pick one single thing. I have enjoyed so many parts of my time working with the team on multiple projects.

Socially, I really enjoyed getting to know the people, who were welcoming and inclusive from the get-go, which really helped me to settle in and feel part of the team. Experiencing what it is like to work in a team and having the opportunity to travel to the office really enhanced my experience and gave me confidence in participating in discussions and building lasting relationships with colleagues.

On a more practical note, I loved having the opportunity to be involved in various projects that let me draw from what I already knew to build upon and expand my knowledge and skills. This was personally stimulating and helped me to learn interesting and essential knowledge and transferable skills that I am sure will be invaluable in the future.

What are some key things you have learned during your time with us?
Again, this is so hard to pin down – I have learned so much from my time here.

One key thing that I have learned and built upon throughout the internship is the fundamental interconnections between climate and biodiversity and the need to move beyond the isolation of these two crises. Although I was aware of how biodiversity and climate are connected, working on projects and participating in discussions have strengthened my opinion of how essential it is to hybridise actions across all scales to ensure we can build not only a net-zero, but also a nature-positive future.

Time management is another key skill that I have developed. I have been fortunate to have been involved in multiple projects and tasks with numerous deadlines and dates to adhere to. By having to work in this way, I have learned how to organise my time better and prioritise certain tasks to ensure all deadlines can be met.

Has your time working with Nature Positive changed your perspective on what you might want to do in the future?
Before starting my internship, I was unsure of what I hoped to do in the future and had multiple broad interests. My time with Nature Positive gave me an insight into lots of aspects of the environmental sector, not just what Nature Positive does.

Although I am still uncertain of where I would like to go or what I see myself doing in the future, this placement has strengthened my passion for the environment and my desire to develop a career that enables me to contribute towards building a more sustainable and equitable world. The values and morals of Nature Positive have enhanced my aspirations to make a difference through my actions and career in building a net-zero and nature-positive world.

Thank you, Kelsey, for everything you have done during your placement and good luck with the rest of your university course. As we grow our team, Nature Positive is always on the lookout for people with interest and experience in business and sustainability. If this sounds like you, please get in touch.

Kelsey has just completed an eight-week placement at Nature Positive (Image source: Kelsey)